Mr Murray
PS/Mr Braker
CONFIDENTIAL
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Mr. Blaker
Blaker agrees
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21 MAY
DESK OSAG NDEX
185
PROBLEM
1. How to respond to a Chinese request to be allowed to establish
a visa-issuing office in Hong Kong.
BACKGROUND AND ARGUMENT
Flag A 2. In his letter of 24 April, the Political Adviser to the Governor
of Hong Kong reported an approach by a senior member of the New China 38 News Agency (who act as the unofficial representatives of the Chinese Government in Hong Kong) about the possibility of issuing visas for China in Hong Kong. Dr Wilson recommends that we should agree to this proposal.
Flag B HKK 026/3
3.
Our normal policy is to insist that in British territories visas should only be issued by properly accredited Consular Officers. However, this is a matter of convention, not international law, and there is no over-riding reason why we should not make an exception
if we choose to do so. There are, as Dr Wilson points out, two strong
arguments in favour of agreeing to the Chinese request:
4.
(i) it would facilitate travel for the growing number of
tourists and businessmen going to China from Hong Kong;
(ii) it would make it easier for us to continue to oppose Chinese
requests for official representation in Hong Kong.
The second argument is the more important. Since 1949 the Chinese Government have repeatedly sought our agreement to the appointment of an official representative in Hong Kong. The issue has been dormant in recent years, and there were indications some months ago that following the despatch of a senior Chinese official to head the NCNA office, and the efforts made by the Hong Kong
Government to ensure that he and his staff were able to operate effectively, the Chinese now attached less importance to official representation. The question was nonetheless mentioned during the Governor's visit to Peking in March, when the Chinese Foreign Minister gave warning that he intended to raise it with Dr Owen, who was then planning to visit China in April (Peking tel No 349 of 2 April).
file
CONFIDENTIAL
15.